Find A Way
by MewPainappuru
Summary: A short look into Mizue and Kotaro Ichinose's final moments before their plane went down.


_**Hello my lovely readers! I haven't uploaded something in a really long time. And I know that I should really be giving more attention to the stories I'm already in the middle of before worrying about a new one, but this idea came to mind and I just had to do it! This is my first Clannad fic, and this idea has probably been done before, but that's okay. I'm fairly pleased with how this turned out, and I hope you enjoy it as well! ******__****____**I'm completely open to criticism, so please feel free to make suggestions on what I should change and how I can make this better. I live to please! Please review! I really do want to know what you think.**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Clannad/Clannad After Story. All characters belong to their respective owners. **_

They weren't really scared. It was fairly obvious to both of them how this was going to end, and they didn't see much point in being scared. They were, however, absolutely devastated. Mizue couldn't stop crying. And Kotaro...? Well, he was doing everything he could to hold back tears. He felt like he had to stay strong, for Mizue's sake. With all the chaos going on around them, she needed someone to keep her together. And, as her husband, that was his job. Very calmly, Kotaro stood up from his seat, and stepped into the aisle. He saw Mizue shoot him a puzzled look, but she was unable to verbally question him through her sobs. He gave her a small, sorrowful smile, then reached up to open the over-head container above their seats.

"Sir! Sir!" a frantic flight attendant called out, rushing over to him. "I'm sorry, sir, but you really can't open these cabinets right now! Something could shift and fall out. We don't want anyone getting hurt!" She brushed a few loose strands of hair out of her face and tried to keep her composure, but the fear was all too evident in her eyes.

Kotaro placed one hand on the young woman's shoulder and gave her a warm smile. "I appreciate your concern," he said sincerely, his other hand reaching into the container to pull something out. "But it's very important that I have this suitcase with me right now." He let his hand fall away from her shoulder, and he turned back to the over-head cabinet. He extracted a silver briefcase and placed it on his seat. He then reached in again and removed a blue plastic bag, which clearly held something bulky inside of it. Once he placed that on his seat as well, he shut the container and sat down again.

"K-Kotaro..." Mizue whimpered, quickly wiping her tears off her cheeks. "What... What are you doing?" She watched him with wide eyes as he put down his table tray and placed the suitcase on top of it. "Kotaro...?"

Kotaro let out a small sigh as he unlatched the case and lifted the top. Settled at the bottom of it was a thick envelope. The man gingerly picked it up and placed it in his lap. Then, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a much smaller, white envelope. "Here," he said, handing it to Mizue. "Finish Kotomi's birthday note, please." He lifted up the blue plastic bag and removed a soft, brown teddy bear from it. "Mizue, we both know how this is going to end," he continued softly, avoiding his wife's gaze. "I want to make sure Kotomi at least receives her gift." It pained him to say such words, but he wasn't going to sugarcoat anything. The plane was going down, and the chance of him or Mizue, or any of the other passengers for that matter, was slim. And it was bad enough that they left Kotomi alone on her birthday. The least they could do was make sure that her present got to her.

Mizue nodded, knowing her husband was right. A new wave of tears rolled down her cheeks as she dropped her own table tray and plucked a pen out of her purse, which had been sitting by her feet on the floor. She carefully opened the envelope and eased out the piece of paper that was inside it. She slowly unfolded the note, then laid it down on the try and began to write. "She doesn't... She doesn't hate us, you know..." she said quietly as she covered the paper with her neat handwriting. She glanced over at Kotaro, who had just placed the stuffed bear into the suitcase. She watched him stiffen, and then slowly, bring a hand up to his face to cover his mouth. Mizue had known that Kotomi's last words to them had been nagging at Kotaro's mind since they left the house. It had really hurt him to hear their sweet little girl say such mean words. It had hurt her too, of course, but Kotaro had clearly taken it the hardest and was still mentally beating himself up over the whole thing. "She didn't understand what she was saying," Mizue continued, refolding the now finished letter and sliding it back into the envelope. "She loves us very much. I know she does."

And with that said, Kotaro broke. He covered his face with both hands, and his shoulders shook violently with silent sobs. How could he have been so selfish to accept this trip offer? What kind of father left his daughter on her birthday like that? If Kotomi didn't hate him, she should. He was a terrible father. He didn't deserve her love. He knew Mizue's was right though. Despite having said the words, Kotomi's heart was far too pure for her to ever actually hate anyone. "I-I know..." he finally replied, his voice high with emotion. "I know she does too..." With a sniffle, he looked at Mizue and took the envelope from her. He picked up her pen as well and scrawled on top of the envelope, _IF YOU FIND THIS SUITCASE, PLEASE TAKE IT TO OUR DAUGHTER._ At the bottom, he signed it, _K+M_, as he and Mizue always did with their joint work. Then he placed the letter on top of the bear and closed the suitcase, making sure that it was locked tight.

"It might take a while to reach her," Mizue said, placing a hand on top of his.

"But it _will_ reach her," Kotaro assured her, before pressing a gentle kiss to her lips. "I know it will..."

_TO KOTOMI,_

_EVEN IF YOUR LIFE IS FULL OF TEARS AND SORROW, THIS WORLD IS STILL A BEAUTIFUL PLACE. OPEN YOUR EYES, AND SEE IT FOR YOURSELF. DO WHAT YOU WANT TO DO. BE WHO YOU WANT TO BE. FIND FRIENDS TO SHARE THE GOOD AND THE BAD WITH YOU. ENJOY LIFE. DON'T BE IN A HURRY TO GROW UP._

_WE FOUND THIS BEAR AT A SOUVENIR SHOP AT THE AIRPORT. WE LOOKED ALL OVER, AND THIS WAS THE BIGGEST ONE WE COULD FIND. I HOPE YOU LIKE IT. I'M SORRY WE DIDN'T HAVE TIME TO MAIL IT BACK TO YOU RIGHT AWAY. TO OUR CUTE, LITTLE KOTOMI... _

_HAPPY BIRTHDAY! WE LOVE YOU!_

_**~END~**  
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**_Thank you so much for reading! It would mean the world to me if you would review and let me know what you think!_**

**_Mew Painappuru_**


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